The 25 best fighting games on Android

Even the most civilised, urbane, latte-sipping pacifist likes a good fighting game. Beating the excrement out of pixels is the ideal consequence-free way to let off steam.

That's not to suggest that all mobile beat-'em-ups are the virtual knuckle draggers of course. Some of them are pretty darned thoughtful. The following list contains scrolling brawlers, technical one-on-one scrappers, fantasy hack-and-slashers, and strategic simulators.

Here, then, is a list of the 25 best fighting games on Android. We'll fight anyone who disagrees with us. Virtually, of course.

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#1 Skullgirls

The name and publisher might have changed, but following its relaunch Skullgirls remains one of the most thoughtful console game reworkings on mobile. The graphics are stunning, the touch controls work brilliantly, and combat is fast and fluid.

#9 Marvel Contest of Champions

The screen-tapping fights themselves are a little simplistic, but Marvel Contest of Champions lets you pitch all your favourite Marvel heroes against each other in beautifully rendered one-on-one fights.

#11 King of Fighters '98

Street Fighter won the popular vote back in the '90s, but beat-'em-up fans will tell you that King of Fighters has always been its equal. This '98 version is like a greatest hits package of the series to that point, so is a fine representation of a golden era for fighting games.

#25 Tekken

With the latest attempt to make Tekken work on mobile, Namco has turned to Marvel's Contest of Champions for inspiration. The result is a fluid brawler that perhaps wisely trades a fair amount of depth in favour of accessibility.